| TRIP TO MOROCCO - SUMMER 2003 | |||
 After
dragging ourselves out of bed we set off from EIC at some ridiculously
early hour of the morning for our destination of Marrakech, Morocco.
We negotiated the straits of Gibraltar and travelled by bus down the
deserted western coast of Morocco and finally arrived at our hotel
in the centre of the city, many hours later.That evening we enjoyed a delicious traditional dinner on the roof top terrace and were met by our guide Mohammed who would prove an invaluable organiser and leader on our trip. The next day we set off on a tour of the city by horse-drawn caleche - we visited a local market, the old town, a tannery (no-one will ever forget the smell!) and then the "souks" - the markets of Marrakech. We soon adapted to the culture of bargaining and learned the advantage of the "student price"! During the evening the students were their usual sociable selves and Olli was fast to demonstrate his smooth French charm to the other occupants of the hotel. The following morning, we set off for the High Atlas mountains - the homeland of the Berber people. We were expecting to stay in some basic mountain retreat, and couldn't believe our eyes when we arrived at the beautifully renovated Kasbah Palace. With views of the mountains 360 degrees around our hotel, traditionally decorated rooms, cared for gardens and the warm welcome of the Berber staff, we couldn't ask for more. That afternoon, we took a walk to a local Berber village and enjoyed mint tea on the roof terrace of one of the local homes, while here Daniel and Alayne managed to negotiate the hiring of a mule each for our trek the next day. Some of the boys choose to sleep under the stars that night too.  The
next day we trekked with our Berber guides, and of course the mules,
to a gorgeous mountain stream in the mountains where some of the students
braved the freezing mountain water for a swim. Welby Junior and Yoheita
also displayed their engineering skills with their impressive river
dam.Our next stop was the Sahara Desert, and we arrived to the searing heat of 45 degrees! Unbearable wasn't the word! Here, we prepared for our camel trek into the desert. We arrived at our campsite for sunset, listening to the local guides play their drums and learning how the locals bake their bread on a fire and hot rocks. We settled to sleep outside in the peaceful starlit sky - however, we were woken at around 3am by a desert sandstorm which covered everyone and everything - by the morning we'd all retreated back into the tent. On this trip, Alayne and Daniel demonstrated their riding skills as they galloped past on the camels. By the end of the trek, our buttocks really were feeling the pain and we were glad to bid farewell to our camels and spend the afternoon relaxing at the hotel pool and visiting the local silver factory. Our final days were spent back in Marrakech, spending our remaining durums in the souks. We also visited a local tea room and saw the spectacle of belly dancers. We arrived back in Marbella 11 days later with many memories of a great experience. Anna Fitzsimmons |
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